Continuous heating furnace



Patented Dec. 6, 1.938

UNITED STAT CONTINUOUS HEATING FURNACE John J. Boax,

Jersey McKeesport, Pa., assigner to National TubeCompany,

a corporation of New Application Febuary 11, 1931, serial No. 125,325

3 claims.

My invention relates Ato continuous heating furnaces and, more particularly, to 'those wherein pipes or tubes, or other tenuous articles, are heated during passage therethrough.

Continuous. heating furnaces of the class described are usually constructed and arranged to receive the articles to `be heated either singly or in pairs and to move them through the heating chamber at a speed correlated to the temperature thereof so that the article or articles will be delivered at the exit of the chamber at the desired temperature. I

However, in order to heat the articlesL properly a very `long heating chamber is required, or else the chamber must be maintained at extremely high temperature.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a relatively short continuous heating furnace which does not require extremely high temperature. j

Another object is to provide a continuous heating furnace having the foregoing advantages which is particularly adapted for heating pipes or tubes or other elongated articles.

The foregoing and other objects will be apparent after referring to the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation of a device of the present invention; and

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line II--II of Figure 1.

In the drawing, the numeral 2 designates a mill floor in which there is rseated aheating chamber 3 which may be heated by any conventional means. The heating chamber 3 is enclosed by insulated walls 4, roof 5 and ,bottom 6, thelatter preferably being belowthe level of the mill floor 2, as shown. The roof 5 has, adjacent one of yits ends, a charging opening 1 extending across the width thereof and adapted to be closed by a sliding cover 8. A discharge port 31s provided in the end wall I which is most remote from the charging opening 1 in the roof 5.

' Disposed within the chamber 3 are a main conveyer I0 anda secondary or discharge conveyer 25. The main conveyer I0 is composed of a driveshaft II and an idle shaft I2, each of which carriesa plurality of sprockets, as at I3 and I4, respectively. An endless link conveyer chain I5 is strung between each pair of sprockets I3 and 0 I4, and each chain is provided with a plurality of outwardly extending fingers I6 which are suitably spaced and transversely aligned to receive a f crane load I1 of pipes, tubes or other tenuous articles. A trackway I8 is disposed adjacent each side of each of the chains I5. These trackways I3 support rollers I9 which are connected-.at suitably spaced positions on eachl side of each of the chains I5; 'whereby' the chains are relieved of the weight of the work-pieces.

A secondary conveyer 25 is disposed adjacent 5 the sprockets I3 on thejdrive shaft II. This secondary conveyer 25 iscomposed of a drive shaft l' 26 and an idle shaft 21 each of which carries a plurality of sprockets, as at 28 and 29, respectively. An endless Alink conveyer chain 30 is 10 strung between each pair of sprockets 2li` and 29, and each chain is provided with a plurality of outwardly extending fingers 3i whichare suitably spaced and transversely aligned to carry between them a `single pipe or tube or other tenuous 15 article.

' that a crane load of vwork-pieces are A rollerway 33 is disposed between the delivery end of the main conveyerlll and the receiving end of the' secondary conveyer 25, whereby workpieces are introduced singly to the latter.

A skidway 32 is disposed between the delivery vend of the secondary conveyer 25 and the discharge port 9 of the heating chamber 3 and introduces heated single work-pieces to a conveyer 35 immediatelyv adjacent thereto.

In operation, a crane load or flift of pipes or tubes, etc., is delivered in bulk through the heating chamber charging opening 1 to the conveyer I0. The speed of the conveyer III is regulated so heated to 30 approximately the desired temperature by the time they are delivered to the secondary conveyer 25 for delivery from the heating chamber 3.

Thus, by providing s.- continuous heating furnace which receives articles in bulk and delivers them 35 singly therefrom,it is possible to utilize a relatively short heating chamber which is economical to operate and conserves floor space'.

A continuously heating furnace of this type has been found to be particularly useful for heating 40 pipes or tubes prior to coating. Suchheating materially reduces the time necessary for drying and oxidizing the Acoating after the coating operation. 45-

While I have shown and described one specic embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that I do not wish to` be limited exactly thereto, since various modications may be madel as dened by the following claims.

1. In a continuous'heating furnace. a heating chamber, means for positively moving abody of closely assembled tenuous superposed articles 55 2. In a continuous heating furnace, a heating in said chamber, said conbeing constructedand to receive a body oi closely assembled tenuous sullerposed said chamber, and a -second conveyer inv said chamber. said second conveyer being' constructed and arranged to receive said articles from said nrst' conveyer and to discharge the same singly from said heating chamber.

. `3. In a continuous heating furnace, a heating chamber, said heating chamber having an opening adjacent one-end o! the rooi'l thereof and a -ranged to receive a tenuous superposed articles and positively move second opening in the end wall o! said chamber remote from said roof opening, a conveyer in said chamber, said conveyer being constructed and arbody of closely assembled the same from adjacent said root opening and toward and adjacent said end wall opening, a second conveyer disposed between said rstname'd conves'er and said end wall opening. said second conveyer being constructed and arranged to receive said articles li'rom said rst-named conveyer landdischarse the same singly through said end wall opening.

JOHN J. BOAX. 

